Although you might automatically envision a front or rear collision when you think of automobile accidents, about
of all car collisions involve side impacts instead. Even if the occupants of your car escape such an incident unharmed, your car could sustain major body damage from the impact.
A side impact (also referred to as a T-bone) collision can create everything from minor cosmetic damage to serious problems that make your vehicle illegal or unsafe to drive. The following four kinds of damage may require the services of a professional auto body shop.
1. Dented Door Panels
Side impacts commonly leave vehicles with dented, bent, or crumpled door panels. This damage can cause more than just cosmetic embarrassment. Although the reinforcements inside the door panel can provide some protection for occupants, the door itself may receive so much damage that it can no longer function properly.
A forceful impact to a side door can bend its components to the extent that it loses its alignment with the frame and surrounding body panels. A door knocked out of alignment cannot use its latch normally. You may be unable to open the door, keep the door closed, or operate the door's window.
Auto body technicians can often smooth out small dents and deformations in an otherwise-functional car door. However, if your door has fallen out of alignment, or if the deformation affects the window's ability to move up and down, you may need to have the entire door replaced.
2. Broken Glass
You can identify the site of many auto accidents simply by spotting the sea of shattered glass and clear plastic on the roadway. In a side impact, this shattered material most likely comes from broken side windows, headlights, taillights, or side mirrors.
The tempered glass (or, in some cases, laminated glass) used for cars' side windows shatters in a more controlled manner than regular glass, reducing your risk of injury in an accident. However, the resulting lack of visibility can make driving dangerous. A hole in the window lets moisture in, promoting interior damage.
A broken side mirror, headlight, or tail light can earn you a ticket or warning if you keep driving the car without addressing the damage. Get these components replaced right away by your auto body shop.
3. Bent Wheels
A T-bone collision can impart enough force to your vehicle to bend or buckle a wheel. You may notice right away that the wheel stands at an abnormal angle. In many cases, however, a subtle bend to the wheel or wheel rim may escape visual scrutiny only to create driving problems later on.
Signs that you may have a bent wheel component include strange vibrations in the steering wheel, rhythmic thumping sounds coming from the tires, a serious drop in fuel efficiency, and a tendency for the vehicle to pull to one side. Fortunately, wheel straightening tools can often correct this kind of damage.
4. Frame Damage
Frame damage is one of the most serious kinds of damage a car can sustain. Manufacturers design unibody frames to absorb shock and protect occupants from injury in an impact. A bent frame may lose some of this protective ability. It may also make the car harder to handle on turns or at higher speeds.
If a side impact has bent or twisted your car's frame, your auto body team can evaluate the damage and figure out the proper way to deal with it. An instrument called a frame straightener may manage to correct individual bends, or the technicians may decide to remove and replace sections of the frame.
If your car has suffered a side impact that left it with significant body damage, Automotive Super Sports can come to the rescue.
Contact us
today to inform us of your problem and ask any questions about our services.
